Elite

Dock Talk at Lake Murray

That cicada hatch that's all over the news might be a player this week at Lake Murray.

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Photography by
Andy Crawford
Photography by
Craig Lamb
One year and two weeks later, the pros return to Lake Murray. The question is will Drew Benton’s 2023 winning weight of 87 pounds be beaten at the Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray? That’s doubtful and this edition of Dock Talk lists the reasons why it will be different. 
Early reports indicate an early morning shad and possibly blueback herring spawn might be in play. Where the bass go next is the key to winning. Bass are spawning, in postspawn mode and even out deep. 
Also different from last year is a cicada hatch added to the food chain. 
What will be the winning weight? With 41 miles from end to end, this recreational playground gets a lot of attention, and rightfully so. Like they say. We report. You decide. Is it fact or just dock talk?
Ray Hanselman, Jr.
“There are still a few bass on beds, but for the most part I think it’s well past the spawn. I think we are in the middle of something. Last year we were here two weeks earlier. The herring bite was all day even with the sun up. This year it’s been over by 9 o’clock.”
“And then what do you do? I’ve got a few on beds but I don’t have confident in those. You can finesse fish on the points after the bass have gone down.”
“I’ve tried to scope but it’s so difficult to tell what species they are.”
John Sokuop
“There are some still on the beds but for the most part it’s postspawn. We seem to be on the back side of the herring and shad spawns.”
The baitfish spawn is good until 9 o’clock and then it’s done. You’ve also got to remember daylight here is 5 a.m. or so but we can’t go out until 7 a.m. 
“There is a very short window to capitalize on the shad spawn. The winning opportunity will be with the guys who can bridge the gap between the end of the baitfish spawn, and when and where the bass go from there for the rest of the day.”
Mike Huff
“When the baitfish spawn ends that’s when things get uncertain. It’s turning into an in between time of the spawning cycle and summer patterns.”
“The baitfish bite is key and you’ve got to be on your A game for that. By 10 a.m. you have to go hunt and peck, go out deeper.”
“I don’t think it will take 17 pounds a day to make the cut like it did last year. It will be more like 15 pounds a day.”
Carl Jocumsen
“The main situation going on here are the bass are doing everything they can do during this time of year. There are bass on beds, moving out into post spawn and 
“And then you have the baitfish spawns and it’s not just the shad and herring. There’s also giant bluegill beds and they are spawning, and now we have a cicada hatch. It’s made it hard because the fish are doing so many things.”
“It’s not like last yere when you could choose between all baitfish spawn or all bedding bass. It’s also toward the end of all those spawns.”
Pat Schlapper
“The baitfish spawn and where the bass are in the spawning cycle are well known.”
“Otherwise, it’s really difficult to lock into one pattern, other than the shad spawn, before you have to switch up. And by then you need to be committed given whatever that bite is will begin around halftime of the fishing day.”
“The angler with knowledge of blueback herring and how the bass react to them after a spawn will be tough to beat.”
Matty Wong
“For sure, this lake is patternable. It’s a herring lake so the bass will be keyed on them even with a cicada hatch.”
“With that it’s made things challenging with a new protein source having entered the food chain.” 
“That in a small way sets it up differently than what we had last year. I think the water was cooler. Someone will roll up on the right point and I hope it’s me.”
Mike Iaconelli
“There really is a cicada bite. It’s not a joke. When you have these big hatches like this it goes down. It’s a lot like the mayfly bite. The bass aren’t busting on the bugs. They literally bite like a trout, just sucking them in. They can get a big protein gather without working hard.”
“You want calm conditions because the bass can’t find them in the waves. Sometimes you’ll literally get a cicada slick where they land behind a windy point in the calm water. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen the bass using that calm water line to feed.”
“It’s a super hard bite to imitate but it can be done. So yeah, there could be a legit pattern using cicada baits.”
Chris Zaldain 
“You can’t gauge last year’s weight, numbers and fishing to this year. It’s completely different. It’s less than two weeks apart. But now we even have a cicada hatch on top of the baitfish spawns. The bass are eating the bugs, yes, and it’s throwing off the entire food chain.”
“Last year the bite was prespawn and full spawn, along with the baitfish spawn. It’s a strange occurrence because unlike last year, the bass aren’t schooling up and chasing bait. You only have about a second to get your bait on top of the boil, and then your chance goes away. The fish are obviously very picky.”
“I think the guy who can capitalize on some topwater fish for the first couple of hours, and then can pivot to the electronics and finesse fishing will do well. I don’t think this tournament will be won any particular one bite. Some of the fish off the points are in schools of five to 15 fish. The herring feeders and chasers move a lot, and the angler who also stays at that tempo will be successful.”

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